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  He grinned, his face suddenly glowing with mischief in the light reflected from the rays of the setting sun bouncing back from the Sahyadri Hills. Shaan really didn’t know what prompted him to do what he did next. His hands on her shoulders, he pulled Chaahat close to his chest and placed his lips on hers, kissing her hard. A deep sigh shuddered through him when he felt her lips fluttering under his, her mouth opening to let him in. Shaan pulled her closer, his arms enclosing her thin body, not really surprised when he felt the pair of her lush breasts pressing against his iron hard chest. He rubbed his tongue against hers, painfully aroused by her taste as she gave him as good as she got.

  With a great effort, Shaan brought his senses under control before he stopped kissing Chaahat, lifting his head to look down at the now pliant woman in his arms. “Do I seem real enough?”

  Chaahat stood away from him, the back of a hand pressed against her mouth, anger blazing in her stormy grey eyes. She pierced him with her gaze before lifting the middle finger of her left hand, turning away to jog towards the farmhouse, flinging the words, “Fuck you!” over her shoulder.

  LEO’S DESIRE

  (Written in the Stars #2)

  A romance novel by

  Sundari Venkatraman

  Copyright © Sundari Venkatraman 2017

  Self-published in 2017 under the banner Flaming Sun

  All rights reserved.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author-publisher.

  Sundari Venkatraman asserts the moral right to be identified as the author & publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Edited by: The Book Club Editorial Panel

  Proofread by: Nikita Jhanglani

  Cover Illustration: Unaiza Merchant

  Books

  by

  Sundari Venkatraman

  Standalone novels

  The Malhotra Bride

  Meghna

  The Runaway Bridegroom

  The Madras Affair

  An Autograph for Anjali

  Twin Torment

  Finding Anya

  Mr. Perfect

  Arjun’s Penance (coming soon)

  Collection of shorts

  Matches Made in Heaven

  Tales of Sunshine

  Box Set

  Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters from India

  Flaming Sun Collection 2: Marriages Made in India

  Flaming Sun Collection 3: Perfect Twins Find Anya

  Novel series

  (Marriages Made in India)

  #1 Her Smitten Husband

  #2 His Drunken Wife

  #3 Her Secret Husband

  #4 The Casanova’s Wife

  #5 Her Bohemian Husband

  Novel series

  (The Bansal Legacy)

  #1 Simha International

  #2 Rose Garden International

  #3 Maharaja International

  Novel series

  (Written in the Stars)

  #1 Scorpio Superstar

  #2 Leo’s Desire

  Novel series

  (The Thakore Royals)

  #1 The Marriage Predicament (coming soon)

  #2 Tied in Knots (coming soon)

  #3 The Wooing of the Shrew (coming soon)

  This special birthday edition (September 2017) is for Nilima, an ex-colleague who’s gone on to become a really good friend. Nilima’s is one of my most enthusiastic champions and a great fan. We bond over leading our lives positively. Thank you Nilima, for being what you are!

  On the Leo-Aries match...

  Love is a benediction to Leo and Aries because of what they see when they look deeply into each other's eyes. He sees a woman vulnerable enough to need his wisdom, yet independent enough to challenge and stimulate him. She sees a man gentle enough to treat her tenderly, yet strong enough to protect and conquer her. And they both see… something else… some mystery of Yesterday, some promise for Tomorrow… something they can't define, accompanied by the music of memory. Between Aries and Leo, the chemistry is right. The moment they touch, then together make a wish on Venus in the morning sky, whole waiting galaxies of stars are watching in wonderous joy, and making a wish on them… in anticipation that the birth of love between these two might herald the long ago prophecies of Peace promised to the world… “when the lamb shall lie down with the Lion”.

  -Linda Goodman

  WARNING:

  Cigarette smoking is injurious to health

  Acknowledgement

  I am truly grateful to the owner and staff at KARE Ayurveda and Yoga Retreat, Mulshi, Maharashtra, for giving me a tour of their health centre. Thank you all!

  Dr. Prakash Kalmadi, Owner

  Dr. Roli Rangappa, Chief Medical Officer

  Dr. Ravinder Shekhawat, Manager

  Dr. Thejus, Resident Doctor

  Ms. Neera Tamang, Front Office

  Thank you so much, Rubina Ramesh, for guiding me so completely for the smooth flow of my story. You are simply the best.

  Thank you so much, Unaiza Merchant, for converting my words into a perfect cover. I am so glad that you are there for me.

  Prologue

  Nishaan whistled tunelessly under his breath as he opened the front door to his bungalow in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, at 5.30 in the morning, confident that everyone—his parents as well as the three servants who lived right at the back of the house—must be fast asleep.

  “Good morning!” Nishaan jumped a foot in the air, crashing against the door he had just shut when he heard his father Aadarsh’s voice greet him.

  “What the fuck! Pop! You almost gave me a heart attack,” exclaimed Nishaan, rubbing a hand over the left side of his chest. “Why the hell are you up at this ungodly hour?”

  “I was going to ask you the very same question. Where the hell were you all this long?”

  “What kind of a question is this to ask your adult son of twenty-four years?” Nishaan squinted at his father, having a difficult time holding himself steady in his inebriated state.

  “You turned twenty-five at midnight past,” said his father, giving the grandfather clock that stood majestically in the hall a fleeting glance.

  “I did, didn’t I?” Nishaan gave his father a charming grin, bumbling his way forward with an effort as he tried to put one foot in front of the other with great concentration. He reached his father to give him a hug. “You stayed up to wish me, Pop? Thank you.” He kissed his dad soundly on his weathered cheek, before tilting back to look into the older man’s eyes that were the exact shade of honey gold as his own.

  Aadarsh Ahuja gritted his teeth, having a tough time holding back his temper as he looked at his only child. “Are you aware that it’s the seventh day in a row that you’ve been getting back home so late? What kind of life is that?”

  “Pop! I’m just having fun. Don’t tell me you can’t remember how you used to be at my age?” Even though he slurred a bit, Nishaan managed to get his point across.

  “I never got drunk every night of the week for sure,” growled Aadarsh.

  Nishaan threw back his head and laughed,
only to catch hold of his father’s shoulder as he teetered on his feet. “Oops! That was bad. But Pop, it isn’t as if I’ve been drinking every day of my life. I...”

  “I should hope not.”

  “Chill Pop! Why don’t you go to bed and let me also get some sleep?”

  “So that you can go to another party later tonight?”

  “What would you rather have me do?”

  “Come to work at the office, what else?” Ahuja Constructions was a multi-billion business owned and run by Aadarsh Ahuja. They built aesthetic residential complexes that were in terrific demand.

  Nishaan grimaced. “Aww Pop. You know I’ll get there one of these days, but not just now. I just finished my post grad. I need a break.”

  “You’ve been on a break since the past six months.” Aadarsh frowned fiercely at his son who was in no state to comprehend his father’s anger.

  “Tell you what. Let’s talk over lunch. I’ll see you then. Ta ta!” Nishaan took a couple of more steps only to fall headlong on the living room carpet and began to snore immediately. The sound, though soft, carried across the cavernous living room, only adding to Aadarsh’s irritation.

  It was 12.30 in the afternoon when Nishaan opened his eyes a slit, a deep scowl appearing between his eyebrows when he felt the bright sunlight falling across his face. What the fuck! Where was he? This wasn’t his bedroom where thick mat blinds covered the floor-length windows. He opened his eyes a little more and checked out his surroundings to notice that he was lying on the sofa in his living room. He turned on his side and groaned when his muscles protested. It was so damn uncomfortable on the sofa. Why was he sleeping here?

  “Mom!” Nishaan’s voice was a croak when he spoke, not reaching far. He got up and reached for the bottle of water that was usually there on the table near his bed. His hand encountered thin air before he recalled that he wasn’t in his bedroom. “Mom! Dayanand!” Nishaan cleared his throat before calling out again.

  His mother appeared from a doorway on the left, even as Dayanand came from the kitchen. “Chote saab, you called?” Dayanand asked respectfully even as Nalini looked at her son with a worried expression.

  “Get me a bottle of water and then coffee.” Nishaan nodded to Dayanand before clutching his protesting head. He grimaced at his mother, saying, “Morning Mom. Come and sit with me na?”

  “What are doing to yourself, Nishaan?” Nalini walked over and sat next to her son, placing a hand on his shoulder. “By the way, happy birthday.”

  Nishaan smiled, saying, “Thanks Mom,” before hugging her.

  “Have you been drinking again?” Nalini shuddered at the smell of stale whisky on her son’s breath.

  “What’s Pop been telling you?”

  “He didn’t need to tell me anything. Listen, Nishaan, you’re twenty-five. You...”

  Nishaan placed a hand across his mother’s mouth, stopping her words effectively. “Spare me the lecture, Mom. Your husband gave me one early in the morning.” Nishaan grinned at her mischievously, taking the bottle of water from Dayanand’s hand to drink from it greedily.

  “But why can’t you be more responsible? I don’t really know what drives you. What...?”

  “Mom!” Nishaan got up. “I don’t really have the time to listen to this nonsense. See you!” His long legs carried him fast as he walked to the marble staircase in the centre of the hall and took the steps two at a time, taking the left fork to the east wing where his suite of rooms was.

  Nalini glared at her son’s back, completely frustrated. Her husband had a plan and she had so hoped to save her son from that. But it looked like Nishaan was begging for a reprimand from his father.

  Nishaan came down at 1.30 as if nothing had happened and neither of his parents had begun the day—his birthday—by scolding him. “Heya guys!” He greeted them now, not really surprised to find his father home for the midday meal as his office was only a couple of streets away. “I’m famished. Let’s have lunch.” He rubbed his hands together before sitting at the dining table and serving himself. Munching his way through the butter rotis, chicken gravy, aloo gobhi and dal fry, Nishaan licked his fingers, telling the cook, “Sagar chacha, you’ve excelled yourself today.”

  “Everything’s probably tastier since it’s the condemned man’s last meal.” Aadarsh said from the head of the table, eyeing his son with distaste.

  “Huh?! What does that mean?” Nishaan paused to look across the table at his father before taking his next bite.

  “Today is your last day under my roof. You leave home for your next party and don’t come back here after that.”

  “Pop! What’s wrong with you?” Nishaan stared at his father, thinking that maybe he hadn’t heard him right.

  “Nothing’s wrong with me, my son, nor with your mother. We both have done our best to give you everything. Okay, probably our fault was to pamper you more than necessary...”

  “Come on Pop, I’m not a spoilt brat,” protested Nishaan, his gaze cajoling.

  “Aren’t you? Men your age have done...”

  “Stop it, Pop! You know how much I hate comparisons. I...”

  “You think I like it?” Aadarsh pushed back his chair noisily and got up to glare at his son, his face thrust out aggressively as he placed his hands on the table. “I believed my son was the best, incomparable. I was the proudest man in town when you completed your MBA from Harvard, standing first in the university. But that was six months ago. What have you done since then, except for going from one party to another? And then there are those women. I hear that you choose to sleep in a different bed every night. Is that something I should feel thrilled to hear about?”

  Nishaan grinned charmingly, deep dimples showing on the grooves of his slashing cheeks. “Pop! Who told you that?”

  Aadarsh continued to scowl, refusing to be charmed. “You are twenty-five Nishaan, beyond the age of being given two tight slaps. Believe me, that’s what I’d really like to do. But I...”

  “Go on Pop, if that’s what you want to give me. I’ll take it as a special birthday gift.” Nishaan got up from the table, wiping his hands on a cloth napkin before walking towards his father.

  “Shut up and listen, Nishaan. I meant it when I said that I don’t want you coming back home after one more night of drinking and womanising. I...”

  “Pop! You’re talking as if I’m forcing myself on women and again as if there are scores of them.” Nishaan shook his head. “Your information is all wrong. It’s the women who run after me and they are probably only half a dozen.”

  “Do you want me to applaud or break into a dance maybe?” Sarcasm dripped from Aadarsh’s voice as he looked his son up and down. Yeah, he could relate to why women threw themselves at his son. Nishaan had been blessed with the best genes from both his parents. He had Nalini’s thick hair and sharp features while taking after Aadarsh’s eyes and tall, broad frame. “I give you one final chance. Promise to join the company as Vice President beginning tomorrow or get out of my home.”

  Nishaan looked into his father’s eyes and read the message clearly there—his parent wasn’t going to budge and the topic wasn’t open for discussion. He turned to look at his mother who had a pathetic expression on her face. It was obvious that while she felt deeply for her son, she agreed with what her husband said.

  “You are serious!” Nishaan exclaimed, looking back at his father.

  “Never more so.”

  “Okay!” He nodded. “Okay, I’ll do what you say.” Just as a smile of relief formed on his parents’ faces, Nishaan said, “I’ll leave your home.” Well, his father had made it clear that it wasn’t his. “And why wait till tonight? I’ll go now, within half an hour.”

  Nishaan walked up the stairs and packed his backpack with a few pairs of jeans, a couple of pairs of shorts, some t-shirts and his Macbook. He threw out all his credit cards and made sure that his two debit cards were there in his wallet. Oh yeah, he had money of his own, a few lakhs that he had earned even wh
ile he studied. He didn’t need any from his father. Wearing socks and track shoes, he shut the door to his bedroom and walked down the stairs. “Okay then, Mom, Pop. I suppose that that’s it. Bye then.” He hugged his mother before turning to his father.

  “Before you go...” Aadarsh placed his hand on his son’s shoulder, looking him up and down, biting on his lips to stop himself from smiling. Oh, he so appreciated Nishaan’s attitude. He would have probably done the same thing if given an ultimatum like the one he had given his son.

  “What?”

  “See if you can survive without calling yourself Nishaan Ahuja, scion of Ahuja Constructions.” There was challenge in Aadarsh’s voice as he quirked a dark eyebrow at his son. “Do you think you can manage?”